How Did John Locke Obtain Freedom

Four philosophers met together to discuss political, economic, and social questions. They all met in Europe and it was the period of time of high intellectual ideas. This meeting helped improve our capitals and our democrats. The four philosophers were John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft. They called this period of time the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. All four thinkers have main ideas that are both the same and different.

John Locke was perhaps one of the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke discusses the move from a state of nature and perfect freedom to a then governed society in which authority is given to a legislative and executive power. His major ideas included liberalism and capitalism, state of nature, state of war and the desire to protect one’s property.

John Locke also believed that government should protect people's natural rights and people can revolt if the government fails or tries to take away peoples natural rights which were life, liberty and property. (doc5) Locke also wrote the 2 treaties of government where he argued that people form government to protect natural rights and the best kind of government had limited power and was accepted by all citizens. Montesquieu also believed that democracy was the best form of government and thought that the best way to protect liberty was to have the three branches of government legislative-creates laws, judicial-interprets laws and executive-enforces laws.(doc 6) He came up with the concept checks and balances which made sure that none of the branches of government had to much power, because they would watch over each other. In a book The Spirit of Laws he explained how he thought that this was the best government and how it was better than other governments throughout history and was a great way to protect liberty. Another ruler who believed that democracy was the best form of government as Rousseau. He believed that people in there natural state were mostly good. He put his faith in the "general will", and believed that the majority of the people should set forth their ideas about government. He put his ideas about society into the social contract.

Locke is best known for his philosophical ideals regarding the rights of humankind- all individuals have the right to life, liberty, and property.

One famous influential philosopher was John Locke. Locke was born in England in the mid 17th century and lived through both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution. He strongly believed in equality for all men. In his book Second Treatise on Civil Government, he says that “creatures of the same species and rank…should be equal amongst another without subordination or

Despite the fact that there were countless enlightenment thinkers, there are still many identifiable similarities between various of them. For example Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques Rousseau both believed in the need for a social contract, and in individualism. They both disagreed on how to go about these things. Thomas Hobbes described an absolute monarchy with limited rights. Jean Jacques Rousseau on the other hand described an democracy with unalienable rights. These two thinkers are a perfect example who thought of different ideals, practiced them in different ways, but nonetheless helped shape the world we live in today.

His writings had a great impact in the perception of the leaders of America. John Locke was an English philosopher who highly influenced the Founding Fathers. He highly believed in natural science and in the growing middle class and represented the principles of the Enlightenment. In an essay Locke wrote concerning human understanding in 1690, Locke denied the idea of native beliefs and argued that every individual is born with a blank mind and that it is the environment that shapes the individual. Thomas Hobbes 's belief that kings govern by divine power was rejected by Locke. He believed that every human being was born equal and that the surroundings in the environment was what molded everyone. Locke argued that people are blessed with some natural rights such as liberty, life, and property. Locke was the philosopher that exposed the concept of governmental checks and balances which later became the foundation for the U. S. Constitution.

The age of reason was a very important time for humanity. New thoughts and ideas were everywhere and the best minds were at work. These minds showed how patience and confidence expressed the Enlightenment. John Locke wrote about what he believed every human being deserves to have. He developed natural rights which were life, liberty, and property. Locke showed much enthusiasm for what he believed could be achieved. He showed he was very hopeful about the direction of humanity and was very willing to pursue this idea. Locke would not have surrendered so easily when faced with challenges such as people who do not want change. He symbolizes the Enlightenment and all the intelligent

One of the four was John Locke, who believed that freedom of individuals was a major key to a prime government.“What state all men are in… is a state or perfect freedom…” (Doc A). Locke primarily addressed that all people are born free and have the right to preserve their freedom. “The people are at liberty to provide for themselves..they have not only a right to get

John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu both helped to build our constitution and we borrowed some of their ideas for how we live our lives in America. John Locke had the idea that people were born with the three natural rights: life, liberty, and property. We as an early country

Two of the many influential philosophers of the Age of Reason during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century that impacted the general will which satisfies society today were John Locke and Jean Jacque Rousseau with their similar ideas of the rights of the people. John Locke, and enlightened philosopher of the Age of Reason believed in the individual having natural rights which he believed were the rights to life, liberty and property as he argued in his most popular book Two Treatises on Government published in 1690. Along with the satisfaction of the rights

Where would we be without individuals like John Locke, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson? Without them, certain elements and ways of thinking that we know today, such as natural rights, would not be evident in society. These individuals were part of a group of philosophers, scientists, and writers who urged for the upbringing of new concepts based on logic. This period was known as the Age of Enlightenment which took place throughout the 18th century in Europe. During this time period, individuals advocated for reason, equality of humanity, and individualism as a way to “break away” from the obscurity and bewilderment of European thought and replace it with the "light" of veracity.

All four of these philosophers made an impact on the shaping of our society. The age of Enlightenment had a powerful impact on the aspects of government, religion, economics, and the equal rights for women. The belief that there are natural laws to discover the truth and the key to understanding is careful observation and clear-headed reasoning. They believed the laws to be universal and what Isaac Newton proved true for planets in science could be discovered in social science if the same rules were

Locke: Locke’s belief was that humans started as Tabula rasa or (blank slates) and over gradual time acquired knowledge through experiences. So to him, education was an important civilizing force. Also he believed that it was the government’s responsibility to enforce and maintain the laws.

Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Racques Rosseau were philosophers who stated their belief of human nature and how we should govern mankind. Although Rousseau was born a different time than Hobbes and Locke, they all had a very strong influence on the way governments should function. They created a revolutionary idea of the state of nature, the way men were before a government came into play. Each philosopher developed guidelines and responsibilities that the government is obliged to. Although proposing different views and ideas, they all contributed significant ideas to society.